About that Black Bottle 10 YO...

Uisge · Post by **Uisge** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:39 am

It was listed at $35.99, plus shipping from this place , so it was about $50.00 I think. Same place that I snagged the 2 bottles of Cohiba Caribbean Finest rum from a while back.

And Cap'n, I hate to say it, but I've never had the standard version, although Ralfy expressed to me his preference for it over the 10YO version. I'll stick with what I know

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Capn's Log: For those who are wondering WTF of what the U-man speaks, in another thread he'd posted a lovely pic of what is reputed to be an equally lovely blend of about 7 Islay single malts: Black Bottle 10 Year. FYI, Black Bottle also sells a less expensive blend called, yup, Black Bottle, with no age indicated.

The basic Black Bottle is very, very well regarded and is available here for about $20 - a real steal for a blend of otherwise expensive island malts. I am jealous of the U-man, but then again he doesn't have the basic, lol...

Uisge · Post by **Uisge** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:43 am

It's true...I don't have the basic, aka NAS Black Bottle...however, I am very much spoiled by what I DO have

Uisge · Post by **Uisge** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:25 pm

Just a heads up, I strolled into the local Bevmo! aka Beverages and More!, one of the larger chain stores for beer, wine, booze, snax and a few (pitifully so) seegars in this tarnished Golden State, and plucked the last NAS Black Bottle blended Scotch off the shelf so I could do a head to head comparison between it and it's older, and sadly no longer produced 10YO brother.

I also grabbed a bottle of Ian McLeod's Isle of Skye 12 YO blended Scotch, but that is for another review at another time *neener, neener*

So tomorrow I'll compare the younger, still available Black Bottle to the other, no longer made Black Bottle.

Here's a tease, though;
A quick nosing of the NAS brought to mind citrus, faint hint of seaweed, while the older one was a fuller experience of a beach with smoked driftwood and an underlying malty sweetness.

You have been warned

NCyankee · Post by **NCyankee** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:55 pm

I have had the Isle of Skye 8 yr, can't say I found it all that interesting, I hope the 12 is better.

I would say the Black Bottle NAS is very comparable to two other low-priced blends, teacher's and White Horse. (These are the only 3 under $20 Scotches I like, but they are all good ones.) This makes sense because Teacher's has a large component of Ardmore, a single malt with a fair amount of smoke and peat despite not being Islay in origin, and White Horse has some lagavulin. Both are available here in NC while I must get BB from out of state.

Uisge · Post by **Uisge** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:51 am

NCyankee wrote:I have had the Isle of Skye 8 yr, can't say I found it all that interesting, I hope the 12 is better.

I would say the Black Bottle NAS is very comparable to two other low-priced blends, teacher's and White Horse. (These are the only 3 under $20 Scotches I like, but they are all good ones.) This makes sense because Teacher's has a large component of Ardmore, a single malt with a fair amount of smoke and peat despite not being Islay in origin, and White Horse has some lagavulin. Both are available here in NC while I must get BB from out of state.

Apparently White Horse has less Lagavulin than what it used to have.

There is an older version,
aged 12 years, that Ralfy recently posted a vlog about .

It was not a "must have/buy" to his mind, however, there is an older version of this 12 YO that came in squared, pressed glass bottle that has Lagavulin, Glen Elgin and Craigellachie, and it is wonderful!

It looks like this (not mine...but mine is now decanted into a nifty cut crystal decanter

)

Uisge · Post by **Uisge** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:55 am

A review of that particular White Horse can be found here.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm out, g'nite y'all!